WASHINGTON (AP) - A Jewish Literary Festival opening this weekend in Washington will feature 17 best-selling authors grappling with such issues as gender, Hasidic Jewish life and race.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon will headline the festival's opening Sunday. He will give a talk on his novel "Telegraph Avenue: A Novel," a story about race and class in urban America.

Joy Ladin will discuss her book, "Through the Door of Life: A Jewish Journey between Genders," on Sunday. She takes readers inside her transition after returning to Yeshiva University to teach as a woman after receiving tenure as a man.

Most events are held at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, though Chabon's opening talk will be at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. The festival runs through Oct. 24.